Roadbed



Nov. 12, 1929. w..M. OSBORN ROAD BED Filed Jan. 1?, 192's 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Patented Nov. 12, 1929 UNITED STATES WARREN OSBORN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ROADBEI) I Application filed January li, 1929. Serial No. 333,051.

The object of my invention is to provide a permanent road bed for railroad rails having a base, preferably of concrete, which may be made if desired in sections of standard rail lengths, metallic stringers or sills embedded in the base and having rail-chairs permanently mountedthereon, anddetachable insulating linings and rail-fastenings which may be easily assembled and readily renewed or replaced.

The invention consists in the arrangements and organizations of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appeiuled claims.

. In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate practical embodiments of the features of my invention and in which the same reference numerals in the different views indicate the same orlike parts, Fig. 1 is a plan view 29 of a section of a railroad bed of any standard rail length constructed in accordance with my invention, and with a pair of rails in place; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3

is a central longitudinal sectional view on the line 38 in Fig. 1;Fig. i is a cross-sectional view in part on the line t4 in Fig. 5 on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional view on the line 55'in Fig. i on similar scale; Fig. 6 is a perspective side view of a rail-wedge; Figs. '7 and 8 are detail views showing a rail-chair; Fig. 9 is a detail side View with'the bottom of a rail-chair in sec tion Fig. 10 is a detail top plan view, and Fig. 11 is a detail cross-sectional view of a portion of the bed with a rail in place. i

In practicing my invention I employ parallel pairs of rail stringers or sills extending longitudinally of the track gauge, and formed preferably of suitable metallic I-beams which have their webs somewhat expanded vertically to afford increased depth between their top and bottom flanges 26 and 27, and provided with transverse openings as shown generally in Fig. 5. These longitudinal beams are connected at intervals by cross-girders consisting of relatively short I- heams approximating in length the gauge of a track and formed with their webs 29 expanded vertically and their top and bottom flanges 80 and 31 respectively fitting between the flanges of the longitudinal beams and fastened thereto at their ends by suitablemeans, preferably by welding the parts together'as indicated at 28. The webs 25 are connected, preferably just below the flanges 5 26, by cross-rods 32 at intervals secured by nuts 33 threaded on their ends, and rail-chairs 3e: are welded to the flanges 26 as indicated at The longitudinal beanisand crossgirders are embedded in a base 36, preferably formed of concrete, and provided with longi tudinal and transverse reinforcing rods 37 and 38 respectively, and passing through the openings in the webs of the stringers and ci'ossgirders. The concrete may be poured into'niolds or forms of desired outline after theabove parts are assembled in place in' trac r, or it may be pie-cast in slabs of any predetermined rail-lengtl'is either for single or double tracks with the above parts in place. The forms are constructed to proviee trackgauge grooves 39 in the top of the base 38 above the flanges 26 and between the railchairs and in general. slightly wider than the rail-bases, andinsulating and souird-deadening strips 40,-preferably of asphaltic or rubber composition, are seated in the grooves 39 between the rail-chairs; these strips are preferably trough-shaped in cross'seetion with their sidesl extending in position along the edges of the bases of the associated rails as shown in Fig. 11. The rail-chairs 34c preferably have channels 43 in their bases forming seats for insulating and sound-deadening pads 44 as shownin Figs. 7 and 8. The strips and the pads 44 are formed and. arranged so that their ends abutand their top surfaces are flush as shown generally in Figs. 9 and 10, so that the rails are supported throughout their length on insulating and sound-dead ening material. The innerfaces of the sides of the chairs are preferably concave or curved, as shown at 45 in Figs. 7 and 8, and are angularto each other to form tapered seats for insulating and sound-deadening elongated rail-fastening wedges 46, which conform to the contours of assembled rails and chairsides, and are driven into place between them with their ends projecting beyond the ends of the chair-sides. 100

In practice the stringers and cross-girders are assembled in a suitable form or mould and connected together with the stringers spaced in track-gauge, the rail-chairs are welded to the flanges 26 at intervals in track-gauge, the cross-rods 32 and the reinforcing rods 37 and 38 are assembled in place, and the concrete is poured; usually the concrete is formed in slabs of say thirty-nine (39) feet in length and say ten (10) feet in width and say twenty (20) inches in depth, in which case the crossgirders are say twelve (12) feet between centers and arranged in general as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. After the concrete sets and such parts (at least) of the form as make the grooves 39 are removed, the strips a0 and pads 4% as assembled in place, the rails are laid and the wedges are d iven to place. The rails are thus fastened to the stringers independently of any bolt or clip connections, areprotected at their fastenings and supported throughout their lengths by insulating and sound-deadening linings, and the entirerail-carryii 5 structure is welded together into a unit and embedded in a base which resists the weight and stresses of traffic and prevents rail creeping and insures permanent track- .uge. T he strips a0 and pads 44 are prefera J resi ient to prevent the metallic stringe...; and chairs from crystallizing and being crushed the action of the rails under traffic. The r are automatically gauged in track when assembled in their chairs, and they can be changed by merely removing the wedges, and the protective lining material can be renewed by merely lifting the rails. The wheel loads on the rails are uniformly distributed over the entire length of the stringers and crossgirders, and these are held in gauge in the base. No ballast is required, and the cost of tamping and packing it is saved; the usual settling of ties with consequent danger of throwing the track out of gauge and necessity for periodic tamping of ballast is obviated.

The slab may be provided with grouting pipes 47, and with inclined cross-drains 48 having discharge pipes a9.

I claim:

1. A rail bed for railways comprising a permanent base provided in its top surface with parallel rail-grooves in track gauge, metallic stringers embedded in said base and forming the lower walls of said grooves, railchairs in said grooves permanently mounted on said stringers, insulating linings in said chairs and grooves, and insulating railfastenings in said chairs on both sides of associated rails.

52. A rail bed for railways comprising .a permanent base provided in its top surface with parallel rail-grooves in track gauge, expanded I-beams embedded in said base with their top flanges forming the lower walls of said grooves, rail-chairs in said grooves welded to said flanges, insulating linings in said chairs and grooves, and insulating railfastenings in said chairs on both sides of associated rails.

3. A road bed for railways comprising a rectangular concrete slab having its length substantially equal to a standard rail length and its width exceeding standard track-gauge and provided in its top surface along its length with parallel rail-grooves in trackgauge, I-beams and cross-girders tied toether in unitary form and embedded in said slab, the top-flanges of said beams forming the lower walls of said rail-grooves, railchairs in said grooves welded'to said flanges and having channels parallel therewith, insulating and resilient linings in said grooves and channels forming rail-seats, and insulating wedges in said chairs on both sides of the rails on said seats.

l. A road bed for railways comprising a rectangular concrete slab having its length substantially equal to a standard rail length and its width exceeding standard track-gauge and provided in its top surface along its length with parallel rail-grooves in trackgauge. ex sanded I-beams and cross-girders welded together in unitary form and embedded in said slab, the top fia-nges of said beams forming the lower walls of said rail-grooves, rail-chairs in said grooves welded to said flanges and having channels parallel therew" i, insulating pads in said channels insulat 3 sn -ps in said grooves between adjacent chairs and forming with said pads resilient rail-seats, and insulating wedges in said chairs on both sides of the rails on said seats.

5. A rail bed for railways comprising a permanent base provided in its top surface with parallel rail-grooves in track-gauge, metallic stringers embedded in said base and forming the lower walls of said grooves, railchairs in said grooves permanently mounted on said stringera'asphaltic strips in said chairs and grooves, and insulating and sound-deadening rail-fastenings in said chairs on both sides of associated rails. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribe-d my name.

WARREN M. OSBORN. 

